Why Your New Bike or Trike May Be Delayed

February 16th, 2015 by Bryan Ball

Have you tried to order a new bike or trike this year and been frustrated by delays and/or vague “estimated delivery” times? If it has any major components made in China or Taiwan, you’re most likely not alone and it’s probably not due to any poor planning on your manufacturer’s part. A major work slow-down and closures brought on by labor disputes between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) that operates roughly 29 West Coast US Ports has wreaked havoc with a number of industrial segments in the US. Unfortunately, the cycling industry is one of the ones getting hit the hardest.

As is often the case with labor disputes, the arguments between the PMA and ILWU center around wages and work hours. An independent arbitrator was brought in earlier this month and for a time, things looked promising. Those negotiations quickly fell apart. Both sides began accusing each other of outright lies and the PMA closed the ports outright this past weekend to avoid giving holiday pay to ILWU workers.

February and March is the time of year when most bicycle companies are getting their spring stock sent in from overseas. In other words, this is the worst possible time for this to be happening. The recumbent companies I spoke to have all found workarounds so far and while there will be delays, they hope everything will be back to normal within a couple of months. That said, there is some major concern with almost anyone I spoke with. Things are much worse for larger mainstream manufacturers with rumors that at least two major names may not have any stock until Fall.

The problem is exacerbated by the fact that it’s impossible to get a ship re-routed once it’s on the water. If it left Taiwan a month ago before the labor problems began, it’s going to California and there’s nothing you can do about. Another complication is that even if the strike ends tomorrow (which doesn’t seem likely), the backlog of cargo that needs to be processed is estimated to take two months to clear.

Rumors are also swirling that other ports and rail lines that are being used to get around the ILWU-controlled ports are also considering using the situation as leverage in their own contract negotiations which may mean the problem is only about to get worse.

In other words… Try to be patient about delays and don’t be too surprised if prices go up a bit over the next few months.

If you want to learn more about the situation, take a look at these articles.